Change
by EcstasySighs
Summary: Steph steps up in an entirely different way. 'Stephanie cut in before the tears in her sister's voice threatened to overwhelm her. "I can take her, Val. I'll probably have to ring you for instructions but … I can take her."'
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One:**

**SPOV**

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><p>The persistent hammering of a fist on her front door jolted her out of bed.<p>

For a moment, Stephanie panicked. Disorientated and still half asleep, the only thing Steph could think was that Joe was at her door, demanding to know why she and dream Ranger were cuddling in her bed.

And then she heard her niece's whinny from her apartment building's hallway. Struggling against the bedcovers, she tried to shake off the feeling of guilt. There's no need to feel guilty, she reasoned with herself. It was a dream! And Joe Morelli had no right to bang on her door… not anymore. "Christ," she swore under her breath, stumbling over the pile of laundry near her bedroom door. She'd been enjoying her mornings until today.

Because for the past week, she'd had the treat of waking peacefully.

After a raucous and alcohol-fueled night out with the girls, her alarm clock had pierced through the hangover of a lifetime, and been unceremoniously slammed into the wall. What followed was an uncoordinated and shameful attempt to get out of bed, which was eventually aborted. She'd not realized it at the time, but the death of her alarm clock would be one of the greatest gifts she could've given herself.

And so followed said glorious week; each morning waking when she wanted to, stretching luxuriously, and sparing a smug glance at the space on the bedside table where the alarm clock had used to sit.

Not this morning though.

If her niece's horse impression hadn't alerted Stephanie to who was at the door, her sister's frantic voice did. Opening the front door, Steph was met with the disheveled appearance of her older sister Valerie, who was carrying what appeared to be half of Walmart's baby section.

It was a good thing Val hadn't waited for an invitation inside, a dazed Steph thought as her sister breezed past her into the small living room. I wouldn't know what to say to this.

And then she realized Val was speaking to her.

"…with Mary Alice and Angie contagious, I just can't risk…"

And then she realized baby Lisa was strapped to Val's chest.

"…she's too young to get chicken pox, and I couldn't handle three sick kids all at once…"

Stephanie's eyes widened as the reality of what was about to happen sunk in.

"Steph you know I wouldn't ask unless I had no one else, but Mom is taking care of Grandma and…"

Ah jeez, thought Stephanie. She had been prepared to set Val straight – she could barely take care of her hamster! – until she had heard her sister's voice start to tremble. Steph knew Val was right; her sister would never leave Lisa in her care unless she desperately had to. And although she and her sister almost never saw eye to eye, Val was family. She could do this for her. She would.

"…and Albert hasn't had chicken pox before so he's staying with his mother; Steph I just can't – "

Stephanie cut in before the tears in her sister's voice threatened to overwhelm her.

"I can take her, Val. I'll probably have to ring you for instructions but … I can take her."

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><p><em><strong>Kia Ora All, this is my first fanfic so let me know what you think! This fic isn't pre-planned, but I know what direction it's heading so wish me luck! I will aim for longer chapters, but at the moment I just want to gauge a response, see if this fic is worth writing.<strong>_

_**Can't wait to hear from y'all, **_

_**Sarah**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hiya! A groovey tip from a **__**friend: read the fic on a ½ page and double space the lines.**_

_**Read on!**_

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><p><em><strong>Previously: <strong>_

_Stephanie cut in before the tears in her sister's voice threatened to overwhelm her. _

"_I can take her, Val. I'll probably have to ring you for instructions but … I can take her."_

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><p><strong>Chapter Two:<strong>

**SPOV**

Because Val had to get back to the girls, Steph decided to dump everything in the living room and let Val leave. If she ran into a problem, she'd call Mary Lou. Besides, babies didn't really need all that stuff anyway…did they?

A noise came from the hallway – one of those cute, cooing noises that only the babies on T.V. made – and Stephanie glanced warily over at the stroller that had only just made it all the way into the apartment. When Val had put Lisa down in the buggie, she had explained that it was only temporary; leaving Lisa in the stroller would be "bad for her growth and development", which meant that Steph had to pick Lisa up and put her…

Okay, so maybe babies did need all this stuff. Now she just had to figure out which contraption to assemble. Did she need both the portable cot and the play mat? Or would Lisa prefer the jolly jumper?

The cooing noise came again, and Steph decided that the thick cuddly blanket amongst all the baby gear would do. Folding it in four, she laid it on the ground and smiled. Babies didn't really need all that gear. Gathering her courage, she drove the stroller into the living room, parked it next to the couch, and peered inside.

It was bizarre looking down at her small niece and seeing pieces of her sister mixed with Albert. Those chubby cheeks could make a Kloughn proud, but that nose? Steph grinned down at the baby. That was all Val.

A deep breath for courage, and one more for luck, Steph slid her hands around the squirming infant and lifted Lisa into her arms. There was some shifting on Steph's part, and some squirming from Lisa, but soon enough Steph had the baby settled in her embrace. "Woah," Steph looked down at the kid, "You're kinda heavy."

Her living room was in a state of disarray, and Steph realised with a start that she still hadn't had her morning coffee yet. Cradling Lisa, she moved into the kitchen to start the brew, before returning to the living room to lay Lisa down on the folded blanket. When the coffee was ready, she poured some into her favourite mug, and stood back to survey her small apartment.

If Lisa was gonna live here, _temporarily _Steph injected into her thoughts, then she couldn't leave everything strewn across the apartment. Looking at it now, the sheer amount of ... _stuff_ made her tiny space look even smaller than usual. So with a quick call to Connie, who confirmed that there were no other skips besides the two files on her kitchen counter, Steph drained the rest of her mug and set to work.

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><p>"Stephanie Plum, Super Aunt! Kung pow! HiYAH!" After a few martial-art-like movements (two air-punches and a failed spinning kick that landed her on her ass), Steph stood back, surveyed her new – <em>temporarily new, <em>she injected – apartment, and puffed out her chest. It took two phone calls to Mary Lou, some consulting with Lisa (who did, in fact, enjoy the jolly jumper more than the play mat) and several long pauses where she had stared at her cell phone, willing it to turn on and call the Merry Men for help, but Steph had done it. She hadn't worried about baby-proofing the house too much – Lisa had only just learnt to roll over said Val – but Steph felt that she'd pimped out her apartment enough that the kid would be comfortable here.

And then Steph rolled her eyes. Comfortable, she thought to herself. It's a baby, not the Queen.

Shut up, Super Aunt sniped back. This apartment is now baby-awesome!

Oooh, that's _real_ mature, Stephanie thought back. And then she checked herself. Her apartment kinda _was _baby-awesome.

The coffee table was pushed up against the wall to make room for the play mat, and the portable cot had replaced the arm chair next to her bed. The diaper bag and duffle bag full of supplies sat on said arm chair, which now rested in the corner next to her window. The change table had been squeezed into her tiny bathroom, and the jolly jumper hung where the kitchen met the living room.

And as she continued to survey her apartments new look, Steph's puffed out chest slowly deflated when she remembered what Mary Lou had asked at the end of their phone conversation.

"_Steph, honey," _Mary Lou had begun cautiously, "_How are you going to catch skips with a baby?"_

How _was _she going to catch skips when she had Lisa? She couldn't take the kid with her, the skips could hurt her! And what if she blew up a car with Lisa inside? Steph huffed and rubbed her forehead when she thought of a new problem. What would happen when the 'Burg informed Joe that she was carrying around a baby?

"Oh, screw Joe!" she yelled, and then groaned when a startled noise came from her bedroom. Steph had moved Lisa from the blanket to the cot when she noticed the baby rubbing her eyes with her tiny fists; the gesture, Steph had recognised proudly, was universal. But from the faint, high-pitched noises Steph could hear, her outburst had definitely woken Lisa up.

Steph hurried into her room and sure enough, Lisa was awake. The grizzling was still high-pitched, but seemed fussy rather than demanding, as if whatever Lisa wanted wasn't urgent yet. And she was doing that squirming-thing again, like when Steph had first picked her up. Steph frowned, reaching out to play with Lisa's foot like she'd seen Mom do before. Did that mean she should pick her up again?

And then Lisa's mouth opened wider; the squirming became thrashing and the fussing turned into a feeble cry. The frail noise hit Steph square in the chest, and suddenly she had scooped the baby up into her arms. Her reaction took her by surprise but, Steph reasoned, how could anyone hear that sound and not _do_ something?

As soon as Lisa rested against Stephanie's chest, the baby quieted and began to nuzzle. Alarmed, Steph blushed furiously, held Lisa away from her chest and threw a panicked glance around the room to make sure no-one else had seen that. "Nuh-uh Lisa, there isn't anything there!"

Swiftly Lisa's feeble cry morphed into _that _cry, the one that frazzled all men and caused friends to hand the cute baby back to their mothers to deal with. Shrill, demanding and accompanied by a scrunched up face, Lisa's crying caused a whole other type of panic to well up in Steph as she quickly cuddled the baby back into her chest. But the crying didn't stop. _Why wouldn't it stop? _Steph thought frantically.

Shit, shit, shit, cussed Steph, this is why I have a hamster! All Rex ever wants is fresh sawdust and food!

Omigod, food! Steph rushed to the armchair that held all of Lisa's supplies, but all she could find were clean empty bottles. "Where is it Val, where is the food?" Steph spoke aloud, her own voice starting to tremble as Lisa continued to cry that heart-wrenching cry into Steph's ear.

With one empty bottle in hand, Steph jogged into the kitchen, frantically holding it towards the ceiling as if God would see her distress and fill it himself. "Do something!" she heard herself say, but when nothing happened she let out a harsh breath and spun towards the fridge. Jerking it open, she froze. Slowly reaching into the fridge, she withdrew a bottle full of milk and then cautiously peered back up at the ceiling. "_Thank you._" Logically she knew that Val had probably put them in there, but this wasn't the time for logic. Steph perked up slightly as she thought, _this is the time for action! _Juggling Lisa and the bottle, Steph turned to the microwave and reached out with one hand to heat the milk.

What happened next nearly broke Stephanie. With only one hand supporting Lisa, Steph wasn't prepared for the baby to let one particularly loud wail and jerk against her hold. As Lisa began to slip out of her arms, all of the fear and distraught-riddled dread threatened to claw out of Steph's stomach and overwhelm her. She gasped in one shaky, frantic breath, and –

A tingle sparked up the back of her neck. One strong mocha arm reached around to firmly press Lisa back against Steph's chest, whilst another snaked round to catch the bottle that had dropped from her hand. The single breath that Steph held rushed out of her in relief as she melted against the warm, hard body that pressed against her back. Her head dropped back onto his shoulder before she turned to bury it in his neck; eyes fiercely squeezed shut against the emotions that swelled in her chest.

The two arms wrapped around Stephanie, and as Lisa was hugged into Stephanie's chest, Steph was cuddled into his. A pair of warm lips rested on her forehead, then spoke.

"Babe."

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><p><em><strong>Kia Ora All, and thank you so much for your encouraging reviews! This time around I'd like you to add in something you love about the original Stephanie Plum from Janet's books – so far I've been writing these chapters and then going back<strong>__** to add in more Steph, so tell me, what character traits are a must for my Steph?**_

_**Hugs,**_

_**Sarah.**_

_**P.S. Just as finished writing this chapter "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias came on. Coincidence? I think not!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: **__**RL needs it's ass kicked – it's being super gay right now (complete with hand gestures even). Anyway... **_

_**Read on!**_

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><p><em><strong>Previously: <strong>_

_The two arms wrapped around Stephanie, and as Lisa was hugged into Stephanie's chest, Steph was cuddled into his. A pair of warm lips rested on her forehead, then spoke._

"_Babe."  
><em>

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><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>**:**

**SPOV**

As a little girl, when Steph had scraped her knee or bit her tongue, she would always turn to her Dad for one of his magical hugs. There was something about those hugs – he didn't squeeze too tight or fuss over her like her Mom did. There was a quiet feeling of love about them, a hushed gentleness that made everything okay.

Steph wasn't sure when Ranger had started hugging like her Dad, but then again, she reasoned, Ranger was a father himself. Who knows, maybe all fathers could do it? But she knew that when her cars blew up, she didn't have to find her way to her parents for one of those hugs; these days she just had to sit on the curb and count to ten.

The microwave's timer went off, and Ranger reached out to retrieve the bottle. With one arm still wrapped around her and Lisa, Ranger moved Steph's other arm so that it extended out. With her palm facing the ceiling, Ranger let two drops of formula drip onto Steph's inner wrist.

The moment he did it, Steph couldn't stop her brain from exploding in thought. How did he know how to do this? Was he actually good at everything? And why did _he_ of all people have to have the ninja ability to show up _exactly_ when she was about to embarrass herself?

And then there was another part of herself – one that sounded suspiciously like Aunt Stephanie – that couldn't help but feel a little resentful. She would've checked the temperature of the milk; Val had shown her how at one Sunday dinner a few weeks prior. She would have checked, fed Lisa her bottle, and celebrated the quiet victory that she'd known what to do.

"Did I get the temperature right, Babe?"

Steph rolled her eyes, both at him and herself. ESP for the win, she thought. He knew damn well he had it right, but the extended olive branch was enough to take the wind out of her sails.

"Yes," she answered simply, and Ranger leaned back against the kitchen counter as Stephanie shifted Lisa in her arms. When Steph had both arms securely wrapped around the child, Ranger slid one arm underneath the bundle to take the baby's weight, and used his other hand to rub the bottle's teat against Lisa's lips until she latched on and began to feed.

Its official, thought Stephanie. This can't be real. The world is ending. The apocalypse has come. The ingredients of pineapple-upside-down cake have ceased to exist. Batman has hung up his superhero cape and the citizens of Gotham would never be safe again, all because she had to babysit. What would the Justice League say?

"Babe."

She wasn't feeling brave enough to actually look him in the eye, but a sly glance out of her peripheries told her that Ranger was thinking about smiling. How much had he heard?

"Everything."

Steph huffed. He probably thought he was _so cool_ with his mysterious, mono-syllabic answers. She twisted in his grasp so that she was nose to nose with him, pulled back slightly and poked her tongue out. Ha!No words – I win!

This time Ranger smiled a small, 75watt smile and shook his head slightly, which Stephanie took to mean _that doesn't count, Babe_.

"It does too!"

He quirked one eyebrow, and looked at her as if to say _I can play this game better than you._

Which probably would've started a _No you can't/Yes I can! _argument on Stephanie's part had she not heard the dead bolt disengage and the front door open.

"Cupcake?"

_Oh snap_.

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><p>Joe Morelli rounded the kitchen corner with the ease of a man who knew his way around her apartment. He wore a navy blue button down shirt open over a plain white singlet, and his torso was twisted away from Steph and Ranger as he looked back on her transformed living room.<p>

Note to self, Steph thought, must get key back. Smug bastard was too comfortable in her territory.

"I gotta say Cupcake, I like what you've done with the …" Joe tapered off as he took in the scene before him. "…place," he finished, after which his whole body seemed to freeze. His breathing turned shallow and his face went red; beneath the lock of Italian hair that fell across his face, a vein on his forehead pulsed.

Ranger was already frozen, but Steph was pretty sure that Ranger only breathed on days starting with 'T', so she couldn't read into that too much considering it was Sunday.

Awkwardly, Steph couldn't freeze if her life depended on it, so she spent the next few moments of silence fidgeting and trying not to make eye contact with anyone.

The sound of Lisa's small hand batting against her bottle broke the spell. Apparently Lisa wasn't impressed with Ranger holding the bottle to her mouth when it was now empty.

Slowly Ranger set the bottle down on the counter. Without taking his eyes off Joe, he reached back for the tea towel, draped it over Steph's right shoulder, and guided Steph's hands until she had Lisa propped up.

Joe lent heavily against the wall. One fist was violently clenched at his side; the other had a white-knuckled grip on a dining table chair. He watched the trio with a look of tortured disbelief on his face, and as time crept by without a response, Steph felt a lick of panic when Joe's eyes began to harden.

Ranger's large hand slowly rubbed Lisa's back as Steph battled with herself. On one hand, her life was no longer Joe's business; just because he didn't seem to be getting the message didn't make it any less true on her part. On the other hand, this was Joe's dream for them when they had been a couple. Although things were definitely not what they looked like, the cozy kitchen scene could be Joe's breaking point.

He'd have to unfreeze first, she thought to herself. And then she giggled nervously. Out loud.

_Oh crap.  
><em>

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><p><strong>AN: The supposed love of your life in the arms of your nemesis, holding a baby and laughing at you. Would you be at your breaking point?**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry guys, had a computer meltdown, but now I'm back online.**

**It's short but I'm getting the wind back in my sails; keep the faith.**

**A line in this Chapter is dedicated to the song Somebody That I Used to Know – Goyte ft. Kimbra. So...**

**Read On!**

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><p><em><strong>Previously:<strong>_

_Ranger's large hand slowly rubbed Lisa's back as Steph battled with herself. On one hand, her life was no longer Joe's business; just because he didn't seem to be getting the message didn't make it any less true on her part. On the other hand, this was Joe's dream for them when they had been a couple. Although things were definitely not what they looked like, the cozy kitchen scene could be Joe's breaking point._

_He'd have to unfreeze first, she thought to herself. And then she giggled nervously. Out loud._

_Oh crap._

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><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

**SPOV**

You know that moment that you look back on and think 'I should've kept my damn mouth shut'?

This was that moment.

It took a second for the nervous sound to permeate the small kitchen, and then Morelli's eyes seem to bulge.

Arms still wrapped around her, Ranger gently shifted Steph forward so that he no longer leant against the counter. Steph was startled to realise that it was so he would have access to the gun tucked away at his lower back.

Steph didn't know what the look was in Morelli's eyes – Fury? Desperation? – but the cold emotions staring back at her made her skin crawl with unease. Without thinking, she clutched Lisa tighter to her as she made to turn into Ranger's chest.

Always one step ahead, Ranger had used the arm wrapped around Steph to manoeuvre her behind him. Gone was the easy demeanour and warm, coffee-coloured eyes; as Ranger straightened from his slouch he seemed to fill a shrinking room, shielding woman and child behind broad shoulders.

Unwilling, or perhaps unable to break contact with him, Steph slid one palm up Ranger's back and rested it at the nap of his neck. As she pressed herself against his back, with Lisa's small head resting between Ranger's shoulder blades, Steph peered over one Cuban shoulder to quietly observe the man she used to know.

Maybe it was the innate way that the couple had moved; one woman protecting a child, one man protecting his woman.

Or maybe it was the chilling realisation that Steph thought a baby needed protection from him that caused the colour to drain out of Morelli's face, and the bitter vehemence to drain out of his eyes.

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><p><strong>AN: Okay so, mull that over and I'll be right back!**

**-Sarah**


	5. Interlude

**A/N: A present since I lied about the 'be right back'.**

**Read On!**

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><p><em>Previously: <em>

_Maybe it was the innate way that the couple had moved; one woman protecting a child, one man protecting his woman._

_Or maybe it was the chilling realisation that Steph thought a baby needed protection from him that caused the colour to drain out of Morelli's face, and the bitter vehemence to drain out of his eyes._

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><p><strong>Interlude<strong>

**RPOV**

Whilst Steph relaxed when she saw Morelli come back to reality, Ranger did not. Was the threat of physical violence gone? Yes.

But he knew better than to let his guard down when it came to this man. The man that, several months ago, he had decided was the better man vying for his Babe's affections.

But after coming back from his last mission, the updates he'd received from his men had made him dangerously quiet.

Not that the reports about his business hadn't been encouraging; Rangeman seemed to be prospering despite the economic downturn. But when his employees were dismissed from the meeting, and his core team – his brothers – stayed seated, the silent question he asked with one eyebrow was returned with three pained grimaces.

Something was up with his Babe.

Nobody was quite sure what; none of the men dared to report speculation. But the facts had been laid down, and no matter how often they were punctuated with restless sighs or muttered curses, the facts painted a picture that painted a bulls-eye on Morelli's head.

Twenty one days ago, Steph played a voice message from her cell phone in the Rangeman lobby, which was overheard by Binkie. Morelli was going undercover out of town.

Nineteen days ago, Joe Morelli's vehicle had been spotted at a questionable motel on the outskirts of Trenton when Hal drove home from his parent's Sunday dinner.

It was seen in the same spot two days later as Woody and Hector retrieved a skip from the area.

Fifteen days ago, Lester was picking up files from the Bond's office when Steph told Lula Morelli was back from New York.

Twelve days ago, Cal was angling out of his car to make his way into Pino's when raised voices made him pause. Big Dog and Carl were two cops that were well liked by the RangeMan team for their laid back attitude, but the uniformed friends were rarely seen arguing.

"...she has a right to know!"

"Don't get involved, it's not our business!"

"Like hell it isn't! She's bringing in skips every other day, how long before some fool lets slip about his Tom Cat bullshit with her in earshot?"

Nine days ago, Steph had left her purse in Morelli's car and showed up at Rangeman to ask for assistance. "I know you guys have a tracker hidden in it, pull it up and Lula will drive me over."

Eight days ago, Lula didn't show up for work. Neither did Connie, who was spotted picking up Mary Lou from her home in the 'Burg.

That night, four women painted the town red. Any Rangeman not scheduled to work was found trailing a safe distance behind the foursome, counting shots, staring down other men, and finally driving each inebriated female home. Highly trained military soldiers that they were, they convened afterword to piece together each woman's slurred confession.

Men were the scum of the earth.

Except for the Merry Men, the Pope, and George Clooney.

And Steph's STD check had come back negative.

The pencil in Ranger's hand snapped.

He had made the wrong decision.

Was his life dangerous? Yes. He had moved aside so Steph could have a safer life with Morelli.

But what was safety without loyalty, or trust? Those were things he could give his Babe. Things he already _did _give his Babe.

And when had he looked around the table at his brothers who had watched over his Babe – no, _their _Bombshell – while he was gone, he knew then he wouldn't be alone when it came to keeping the brunette 'Burg woman safe.

He had made the wrong decision.

Now he would rectify it.

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><p><strong>AN: That wasn't your chapter five, that was a 'sorry my boss keeps calling me in on my day off and taking up all my writing time'.**

**Loves Ya!**


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Well, it's my first day off since before Christmas, so here I am to rectify the unholy silence ... said silence that left several readers giving me the hurry up (in a gentle, encouraging sort of way lol). I was a bit shaky on where to go from the interlude, but I think I've got things where I want them. **

**This one's to RANGEMANSGIRL and jenio1 for their nudging =)**

**Read On!**

_Previously: _

_Or maybe it was the chilling realisation that Steph thought a baby needed protection from him that caused the colour to drain out of Morelli's face, and the bitter vehemence to drain out of his eyes__._

**Chapter Five**

**SPOV**

Steph watched as Morelli waivered in her doorway, suddenly unsure of himself, of his place in her small apartment.

Of his place in her life.

She tried to tell him with her eyes that she was sorry. That she was tired. That she didn't want to fight.

That she knew what he had done.

But when he opened his mouth to defend himself, she shot him _the _look.

_Don't be an idiot._

_Don't make it worse._

His shoulders sagged. She could see that he was ready to concede, but she also saw the straightness of his back as he stood, the absence of shadows under his eyes, the lack of remorse that should have been tugging at the corner of his grimace.

He wasn't tired. He wasn't sorry.

He was just chagrined that he'd been caught.

Steph edged out from behind Ranger, trailing her free hand across his back as she went. She kept her eyes locked on Morelli as she moved towards him, and although his eyes flicked between herself and the child she clutched to her chest, for once it seemed he had forgotten about Ranger.

"Joe." Her voice was hushed as she drew level with him; it sounded small and pitying and not how she wanted, so she swallowed twice before she spoke again.

"Joe," - ah, that was better, firm but understanding - "I'll walk you to the door."

As she moved past him she ignored the moment he took to look back into the kitchen.

Ranger hadn't shifted from his place next to the dull countertop. His shoulders didn't seem to take up quite so much space anymore, but his lack of movement sent several messages to the departing man.

_He's staying in the kitchen whilst she escorts you out._

_To give us a moment? To assert that she can handle herself? A show of trust?_

But mostly Ranger's stillness meant one thing:

_He's staying here while you leave._

Morelli didn't let his gaze linger, and he followed behind Steph to walk through the faded front door that she held ajar.

Steph looked up at the man as he passed by her, struggling to keep the air of finality without letting any regret creep in. She didn't want to give Morelli any false hope.

And she seemed to pull it off, because the lips Morelli pressed to her forehead before he strode out the door definitely felt like a final goodbye.

**A/N: I know it's short. I find it really hard to write more than 1000 words. It's like my thoughts just stop and say No! This chapter will stop here! It's kinda frustrating...**

**Just a reminder, this fic isn't beta'd so ... I dunno, if anyone feels like reading things over or just being my nag when I don't update often enough lol ... drop me a line.**

**-Sarah**


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: So I have been duly reminded by my super fantastic readers that Mr. Morelli did not leave the key! Was it on purpose or simply an oversight my part? We shall see...**

**I wanna give a great big shout out to my new beta TexanBabe (yay!), who has been listening to my ramblings for the past week (the poor dear) and giving me some structure in my otherwise come-what-may approach to writing this fic. So, props to her =)**

**As always, a thank you to my chief nudge-r Margaret Fowler (she only had to nudge me twice this time), and to every one of you lovely ladies (and men?) who've left me a review, you make my day much brighter.**

**I'm almost at 100 reviews, I'm so excited! And hey, this chapter is over 2000 words, are you proud of me? Was it worth the wait?**

**Read On!**

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><p><em>Previously: <em>

_Steph looked up at the man as he passed by her, struggling to keep the air of finality without letting any regret creep in. She didn't want to give Morelli any false hope._

_And she seemed to pull it off, because the lips Morelli pressed to her forehead before he strode out the door definitely felt like a final goodbye__._

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><p><strong>Chapter Six<strong>

**SPOV**

For a moment, Steph wavered at the open front door, uncomfortable with the sombre mood. Morelli wasn't a bad guy, he was just... a _guy._

Which reminded her of the other guy she still had in her apartment. Steph shut the door, hoisted Lisa higher on her hip, and retraced the few short steps back into the kitchen.

_I don't think you can call Batman a _guy_, _she mused, rounding the corner to survey the six foot something Latino lounging against her kitchen counter. The thought made her pause at the point where the faded carpet met the patterned lino, and she took another look at what appeared to be Casual Ranger wearing a plain grey t-shirt and a pair of well worn dark wash jeans.

_Point taken. That's definitely a man._

And then she noticed his feet. The bare, masculine feet peeking out from beneath the dark wash jeans.

_Damn._

_..._

_..._

_Damn._

And then:

_Make yourself at home, why don't you?_

Which was a thought she enjoyed a little too much, so she gave herself a mental headshake and tried to focus on the piece of wall just beside Ranger's left ear.

_You'll be less distracted if you don't actually look at him._

_Yeah ... right._

"Babe?"

She avoided the question by adjusting Lisa on her hip again, but it seemed Ranger's ESP was broken because he asked again, "Babe, are you okay?"

"You're not wearing any shoes."

But he was not to be dissuaded. "You wanna talk about it?

_Do I look like I want to talk about it? _"Yes. Where are your shoes?"

Ranger looked like he was thinking about being exasperated as he pushed of the counter to come stand in front of her, his feet a hair's breadth away from the mysterious lino/carpet line.

"Do you want to talk about what happened with Morelli?" he asked carefully, dipping his head to try and catch her gaze.

_Um, no_. "I'm sorry, did you say you're ordering me a meatball sub?"

If Ranger had a confused face, this was definitely it. "Babe?"

"_Two _meatball subs?"

He gave her a disbelieving look.

"That's what I thought."

She left a bewildered looking Ranger staring at her back as she carried Lisa into the lounge.

_So this is what it feels like to get the last word._

She gave Lisa a slow, secret grin as she laid the baby down onto her play mat.

_I think I like it._

* * *

><p>Eventually, after laying Lisa down on her play mat and arranging herself on the couch, Ranger followed Steph through to the lounge. With Steph splayed out in a modified form of her thinking position, and a lack of other furniture in the small room, Ranger lowered himself onto the floor with his back leaning against the couch. He was within arm's reach of both the females in the room, and used one hand to tug at the adult woman's curls and the other to rub the baby girl's stomach.<p>

It was a while longer before he spoke. "My shoes are at the front door. It's raining outside."

"Uh huh."

The conversation lapsed until Steph remembered one of Val's instructions.

"Did you burp her?"

"Yeah, Babe." He looked down at the baby, noticing that her eyelids had started to droop in the same way her Aunt's did when she was worn out. "She'll be asleep again soon."

"_I'll_ be asleep soon if you keep playing with my hair," she said wryly, rolling onto her side and folding her arms under her head. She fidgeted a little bit more, adjusting her legs, shifting her arms. From her position on the couch see could see the two folders that sat on her coffee table. She knew she'd left them in the kitchen, but why had Ranger moved them? The sight was niggling away at her as she wriggled on the narrow couch.

The two folders she had been given were both low bond, peanuts-for-income skips. One was born, raised and resided in the 'Burg, and would be easy enough to bring in. The second folder was a first time domestic abuse, although the low bond reflected not the harmlessness of the skip, but rather the lack of evidence on the weapon that the wife had claimed was used.

Neither, however, were people she wanted near her niece.

Steph blew out a loud sigh and wriggled some more. Even if Val did recognise that having Lisa would put a cramp in Stephanie's criminal-catching plans, none of her family would know the financial strain it would put Steph under. Living pay cheque to pay cheque, there was definitely no money saved away for Steph to fall back on. Although she had managed to keep her empty bank account a secret from friends and family, there was one person that she couldn't hide from.

He was sitting on her floor, eyes fixed on his hand that continued to rub methodical circles on her niece's tiny tummy.

Her thoughts were melancholy, but she smiled in spite of herself. _Never thought I'd see the day._

Steph looked back over at the folders. If Ranger wanted to talk about them, she was sure he'd have a solution she didn't want to hear. She knew she was going to balk if he tried to solve her problem for her. Even though her priority right now was Lisa, Steph still wouldn't be able to swallow her pride and accept Ranger's help if there wasn't a way to pay him back.

Unless...

"I can't chase those skips with Lisa in tow." She spoke as the idea unravelled in her head.

"RangeMan can take care of your skips Babe." And that was what she was counting on, so she steam-rolled ahead.

"But I can trace them. I can do the legwork, hand them to your men gift-wrapped. I just can't be the person to pick them up."

Ranger nodded slowly, aware that the compromise would lessen the argument when he had the full pay-out wired into her account.

"If I came in and used your search programs, I could do the same for some of your skips. Clock some man hours to make up for using your men."

Steph watched Ranger closely. For what felt like a long time, he remained still, and she concentrated on not fidgeting so that she didn't break his Zen. Eventually, he nodded again.

"Zero has your cubicle now. You can use my office."

"On seven?"

"On five."

Steph struggled with the logistics of two people sharing one desk, but if Ranger was prepared to lend her a Merry Man or two, she wouldn't complain about his odd request.

"I'll need to bring Lisa with me," Steph said. She didn't doubt that Ranger hadn't factored in Lisa, but she put it out there to make sure that they were both on the same page.

Ranger barely glanced down at the brightly coloured activity centre that Lisa lay on before speaking. "Her mat will fit on the floor."

"I don't think they make the play mat in black," Steph quipped, but she wove her hand into his and squeezed to give the thanks she was too inhibited to verbalize.

He squeezed back. "Come in Monday Babe. Take this weekend to get the hang of babysitting."

With her skip-problem solved, Steph had relaxed into the couch, back to making her arms into a comfortable pillow for her head. "Monday," she repeated. And then she grinned.

"Should I get Lisa a black onesie for work?"

"Babe."

* * *

><p>From there they lapsed into a comfortable silence, Stephanie with her eyes closed and Ranger with one finger still loosely wrapped around a curl. When Lisa was moments away from being claimed by sleep, Ranger tugged on that curl, and Steph unfolded herself from the couch to carry her niece into the bedroom. She went over Val's instructions in her head as she laid Lisa down in the Porta-Cot.<p>

No pillow. _Check. _

Tucked in tight. _Check._

Baby monitor. _Not needed. _Though she knew Val had expected her to leave the cot in the lounge, Steph knew she would worry with the child those extra few steps away. Maybe she wasn't the most maternal woman in the world – a fact that had started more than one fight with Morelli – but this was her niece ... her very young, very small niece. Despite that she wasn't a fan of children, family was family, and Steph wasn't about to let her own opinions affect how she took care of her family. So the bedroom it was.

_And it would only be for a few days, right?_

"Could be a week Babe," Ranger spoke from the hallway. He came to stand behind her, a hand resting lightly at the nape of her neck, his thumb slowly stroking the sliver of skin underneath it.

If Steph hadn't already sorted out her work with Ranger, she knew she would have panicked. Even now she struggled not to flinch, wondering exactly how she was going to stay sane looking after an infant for a week. She'd be calling Mary Lou so often her best friend would leave her phone off the hook!

_It's just a week, _she told herself. _It's just a week, it's just a week, it's just a week. Oomm._

"You want me to stay over tonight Babe?" If the humour in his voice counted for anything, Steph knew she'd spoken aloud again. She considered his offer, but he was already supplying her with Merry Men. She wasn't sure how she could pay him back for his own time.

"No, I'm a big girl, I can handle this." _Maybe_.

Ranger leaned in close enough that when he ran his nose down her neck, she could feel the smile on his lips as he spoke. "I could keep the bad guys away."

_Stay strong_, she thought_. I am a capable Aunty! _"I don't have a stalker this week."

By now Ranger's strong chest was flush with her back. "I could keep the bed warm."

Steph was already plenty warm as his heat washed over her from his position behind her. "I think I've had enough excitement for one day. I haven't even had lunch yet and I can't decide whether I'm hungry or tired."

His arms slipped around her waist. "Hungry, Babe?"

"Maybe I'm tired."

She felt the mega watt grin that he pressed into her shoulder. Ranger's arms tightened for a fraction of a second before he dropped a kiss on her curls and released her to make an exit.

She stayed where she was, a wide smile on her face from their banter as she listened to Ranger putting on his shoes. When she heard the front door open she turned her head over her shoulder and called out to him.

"Batman?"

He paused, waiting for her to speak.

"Thanks."

His voice was warm as it carried down the hallway into her bedroom.

"No price Babe."

* * *

><p>Steph wasn't sure how long she spent standing at Lisa's cot after she'd heard the front door close and the deadbolt slide home, so when she heard an impatient knock at the door, she jumped.<p>

"Pino's delivery, enjoy your Pino's meal!" Stephanie opened the door to an exuberant youth holding a takeout bag thrust out in front of her. Bewildered, Steph took the bag, but called out as the teenager began to walk away.

"I didn't order Pino's!"

The young girl didn't pause, but instead turned to face Steph whilst walking backwards towards the elevator. "This is the right address, I double checked."

"But I didn't pay for it!"

"It's paid for," sang the girl.

"But ..." Steph faltered. How do you explain to a kid that she regularly received gifts from her stalkers?

"The guy who ordered it was super gorgeous too. To _die _for! Gosh I wish a gorgeous man would order me food," she gushed, almost at the elevator.

_Wait a minute. _"What did he look like?" Steph yelled down the hallway.

"Like an action hero! A tall, dark, yummy action hero," was all the description Steph got before the elevator doors closed in front of the teen.

_Ahh. If anyone would mistake that description for Morelli they'd need to be shot._

Steph looked down at the bag in her hand, and then peeked inside.

There were two Pino's subs with MTBLL scrawled in black sharpie across the wrapper.

She shook her head and grinned.

_Carlos Manoso. He's not just an action hero. He's Batman._

* * *

><p><strong>End<strong>

**A/N: Okay so I just remembered that you Americans are weird about your shoes, but where I come from it's pretty rude to wear shoes inside, especially if you've been stepping in puddles. You almost always take them off at the door. So forgive me for that non-canon boo boo.**

**Love love love...**

**-Sarah**


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Just started back at university (last year, yay!), and our lecturers are delighting in letting us know that we still know NOTHING.**

**Some love for my beta TexanBabe. Rainbows and daises and lollipops. Mmm, the orange ones.**

**Anyway…**

**Read On!**

* * *

><p><em>Previously: <em>

There were two Pino's subs with MTBLL scrawled in black sharpie across the wrapper.

She shook her head and grinned.

_Carlos Manoso. He's not just an action hero. He's Batman._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seven<strong>

**SPOV**

The apartment was quiet as Steph licked the remnants of her meatball sub from her fingertips.

_Subs. Plural._

Her eyes flitted around the mismatched room as if she could avoid her own thoughts.

_Ranger sent me two knowing I'd eat both._

_Touche._

Grinning, she rose and gathered the wrappers, scrunching them between her hands as she strode towards the kitchen. Ranger had effectively left Steph to her own devices for the next two and a half days, but as she stuffed the rubbish into her already too-full bin, she realised there wasn't a lot she could do with her free weekend with a child in tow.

Steph glanced at the digital clock on the microwave. 2.15pm on a Friday afternoon...

_What to do?_

Which made her think of a phrase Lula had said the day before: _What would Jesus do?_

"There's no church on Friday's," she whispered to the empty room. Not that she could be seen in a 'Burg church with a baby.

Or be seen out in the 'Burg with a baby full stop.

_My apartment's in the 'Burg._

_Oh God..._

_I can't leave my apartment!_

Steph cast a longing glance at her front door.

_Be reasonable. It's raining for cripes sake!_

_And I wasn't planning on going outside anyway, _Steph thought defiantly.

_Yeah, right._

It was going to be the longest weekend of her life.

* * *

><p>The night started off fine. She made some phone calls to ask around about her non-violent skip to pass the time, dodged several more phone calls from her Mother and pawed through the countless mounds of baby paraphernalia that Val had left for Lisa.<p>

The clock read just on six when she'd heard Lisa begin to wriggle in her cot. This time Stephanie heated the bottle full of formula in the microwave _before _going to pick up her niece, thus eliminating the chance of that morning's near accident from happening again.

Steph settled herself on the couch with Lisa tucked comfortably into the crook of her arm, and calculated how long Lisa had slept as the child suckled.

She felt a slow black lick of dread grip her when she realised it had only been four hours since Lisa last fed.

* * *

><p>A persistent shriek dragged Stephanie awake, and her eyes searched the bedroom with only the artificial glare of her alarm clock to break up the darkness.<p>

_12.30am. _

_No one should ever have to look at an alarm clock when it reads that time. _

She stumbled into the kitchen to heat Lisa's bottle, and for the first time regretted watching Ghostbusters before going to bed. Val's instructions had encouraged Steph to 'nap whilst the baby naps', but going to bed at 8pm seemed ridiculous at the time.

_Let's not make that mistake again._

It took longer for her niece to latch on to the rubber teat this time, Lisa apparently intent on wailing for a bit longer to punish Steph for sleeping past her bottle time. The piercing cry seemed to push Steph straight from drowsy to frustrated, and she resisted the urge to shush the infant.

As soon as the bottle was empty and Lisa had burped, she returned the disgruntled child to her cot in the hope that it would encourage Lisa to go back to sleep.

The infant squirmed and grizzled, and Steph lay still on her bed as if any movement on her part would provoke a tantrum.

The grizzle became an indignant wail, which petered out into a dull, stubborn cry. It was an annoying whine that could curdle milk, and it went on, and on, and on.

_Don't pick her up. Val said not to play with her at night._

Stephanie buried her face deep into her pillow and pulled her duvet over her head, but as the minutes ticked on the sound needled at her eardrums until she was curled in a ball, as if she could protect herself from the noise that wove underneath her bed sheets.

_Don't pick her up. Don't pick her up, don't pick her up, don't pick her up. _

_1.15am._

_It's not worth it._

_I'm picking her up._

* * *

><p>The theme song that chirped out after the Looney Tunes show jolted Stephanie awake.<p>

She was on the floor.

On the living room floor.

She had been asleep on the living room floor.

The TV was shining out early morning cartoons, and her niece slept with her fist in her mouth on the play mat that Steph was lying next to.

_Caution: sleep deprivation may cause memory loss_, smirked Aunt Stephanie.

The swear word was more of a muffled groan as Steph tried to stifle it with a hand over her mouth, and she slowly lifted Lisa into her arms to put her back into her cot. She could remember the crying, the pacing, and finally falling into bed at quarter to two in the morning, only to be woken again just as the sky outside was starting to lighten. She remembered having to wait after heating the formula too much, and turning the TV on in the hope that the noise would be more interesting to Lisa than the sound of her own fussing.

Stephanie didn't bother to try and remember more as she tucked Lisa into her cot and threw herself onto her bed.

The last thing she saw before she flung her arm over her eyes was the numbers on her alarm clock, but at that point they hadn't really make much sense.

_8.02am._

* * *

><p>Come midday Saturday, Steph refused to look at herself in the mirror.<p>

Or any other reflective surfaces for that matter.

She shuffled into the kitchen, turned the coffee maker on for the third time that day, and stared aimlessly at it as her liquid life source brewed.

But not too hard, because the coffee pot was also reflective.

_I thought babies were meant to be a gift from God? _she thought as she heard Lisa start to stir again.

She could feel the cynical sag in her facial muscles, as if one night of babysitting was enough to turn her smile into a new-mother's grimace. Her hair sat in a messy bun on top of her head, and she could feel the curls that had wrapped into snarls around the hair tie tugging at her scalp.

She'd already decided to never take the hair tie out whilst Lisa was here. It wasn't worth it.

Steph clutched at her mug as she lent heavily against the kitchen counter, before pushing off to find a chair and scull the coffee whilst the formula heated in the microwave.

Standing was over-rated anyway.

_Remind me again why I sent Ranger home?_

_Yes, because you really want him to see you like this._

_He's seen me worse._

Steph winced because it was true. Sitting slumped over on the couch with Lisa once again tucked into the crook of her arm, she watched her niece's small leg jerk in time with her suckling and wondered how Val did it.

_It. What was it? Mothering?_

She bounced Lisa, rubbing her back, going through the motions without having to read Val's now-crumpled piece of paper_._

_Whatever it is,_ Steph thought as she laid Lisa back down_, it's more than a one person job_.

* * *

><p>The smell of sweet and sour pork wrapped its way around Stephanie's mind and gently led her into consciousness. She arched her back and smiled a small, rested smile as her eyes swept over her alarm clock.<p>

_6.58pm._

The smile slid off her face when her gaze landed on Lisa's cot.

Lisa's _empty _cot.

The cry got lodged in her throat as she threw herself out of bed, swung around the frame of her bedroom door and into the lounge.

The curtains in the room were closed against the overcast weather, but the only working light bulb shone down on a Cuban man that lay on the couch, looking amused at the pale infant that was wriggling around on his stomach. He had one hand behind his head and the other hovered protectively over the child's nappied-covered butt that stuck up in the air as it tried to roll over.

On the coffee table was empty formula bottle, lying forgotten next to a white plastic bag that had brown Chinese characters printed on the side and a lick of steam curling out the top.

"Ranger." The word was released whisper-quiet from her mouth as a relieved sigh, but it was covered up as Lisa let out an indignant squawk when she finally managed to roll over, only to have Ranger's hand halt her before she rolled right off his stomach. He chuckled and the little girl moved up and down as his belly moved with the laugh.

_No, you're not allowed to call Batman cute._

_It would be his punishment for giving me a heart attack!_

Steph watched as Ranger rearranged Lisa so she was lying on her back; this time his laugh was a low-pitched rumble as he tugged at one small, woollen-covered foot until the child kicked out excitedly.

_Okay, maybe you _**can** _call him cute. _

Steph grinned despite her herself, her heart slowing back down to normal as she watched Ranger's gentle handling of her niece.

_You just have to figure out how to get away with it. _

**End**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This chapter started off so easy, and then it was like pulling teeth! Grrr…**

**Love love love,**

**-Sarah**


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: Watched a YouTube video of a 3 year old girl crying over Justin Bieber. It was hilarious in a disappointing and mildly disturbing type of way.**

**Loves for TexanBabe, who has the best ideas for the next chappie (which was meant to be in this chappie but it got split in two so I could tease y'all now). Gotta love that woman!**

**Read On!**

* * *

><p><em>Previously: <em>

_Steph watched as Ranger rearranged Lisa so she was lying on her back; this time his laugh was a low-pitched rumble as he tugged at one of the small, woollen-covered feet until the child kicked out excitedly._

_Okay, maybe you __**can**__ call him cute. _

_Steph grinned to herself. Now she just had to figure out how to get away with it._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seven<strong>

**SPOV**

"Babe."

"_What?"_

It was the _what_ of a woman that was developing an eye twitch but, Stephanie noted, the man asking probably had secret medals for secret bravery, which was why he was brave enough to ask.

"We're not being followed."

_Aww, he thinks you're being aware of your surroundings. Optimistic, isn't he?_

"It's not that. I can hear ... _them_."

"Them?"

_Is he smirking? He is!_

_Bravery, meet male stupidity. _

_You'd think they would have bred that out of them when they joined the Rangers._

"_Them," _she flinched as she heard another cell phone flick open. "Calling my mother."

"So?"

_It's like talking to a tree._

"So then she'll call me!"

"And?"

_Oh no he didn't._

Most women wouldn't attempt to level a murderous glare at a six foot something Latino male whose muscles were located as small islands on the world map, but then again, most men wouldn't continue to question a strung out woman when the topic of conversation was her mother. So Stephanie let him have it over the tops of her sunglasses.

Ranger absorbed the glare with his secret medal of secret bravery as he invaded her personal space, her back pressing into the handle of Lisa's baby stroller. Parked next to the boardwalk that lead to Point Pleasant's local ice cream shop, she'd been thankful for the RangeMan parking karma until it had put her in prime view of the 'Burg's busy bodies that had also migrated to the beach for the weekend. The sound of another cell phone opening caused her to cringe into him, and she slapped at his chest with more frustration than gusto. "Stop provoking them!"

Ranger grinned and leaned in further, nuzzling at her neck. "You know you wouldn't be this wound up if you'd let me in the shower with you this morning."

A flush crept down Stephanie's neck, and she put some distance between her and Ranger when she noticed his eyes were tracking the flush as it disappeared under her stretchy t-shirt.

"That would've set a bad example for Lisa."

"_Babe."_

* * *

><p><strong>The Night Before<strong>

She hadn't specifically asked Ranger to stay the night before, but neither had she commented when she'd returned from her shower to find a boxer-clad Batman putting Lisa down before crawling under her sheets as she watched.

He lifted an eyebrow at her from the middle of the bed, so she placed a hand on her hip in response.

And then put the hand back in front of her chest, because the towel she was wearing didn't have quite enough bosom to hold it up without assistance.

"You're wearing my jammies." Her voice was indignant and her nose was in the air, but her mouth couldn't stop twitching as she tried to tease him.

"These are _my _boxers Babe."

"Yes, well ... finders keepers." _Oh that's real mature, Stephanie._

"So I get to keep them?" he grinned.

_Bastard, _she thought half-heartedly_._

"I heard that Stephanie."

"Shut up and move to your side of the bed."

* * *

><p><strong>That Morning<strong>

_Since when did I have an alarm clock that works? _

The volume was low, but the sound was still too obnoxious for first thing in the morning, so Steph rolled over enough to slap at the offending noise.

And saw that the cot was empty. _Again._

Except this time it had a note cellotaped to it, but the writing was small enough that she couldn't read it from the bed.

_Alarm clock. Out-of-reach note. _

_Someone is trying to get me out of bed._

And then she remembered who'd stayed the night.

_Bastard_, she thought, slinking out of bed to grab the piece of paper.

_Babe,_

_Morning meeting at 0700._

_Lisa came for the car ride._

_Back with breakfast at 0800._

_-R_

_P.S. Dress for the beach._

Stephanie blinked a few times at the note, once at the alarm clock, and two more at the empty cot.

_The beach?_

_..._

_An outing?_

_..._

_Can I call him cute yet?_

* * *

><p><strong>Present<strong>

Two black SUV's pulled into the car park, and a familiar head hung out one passenger window like a kid jumped up on snicker doodles.

"Beautiful! Are you ready for some family fun?"

Stephanie tipped a sidelong glance at the man strapping her niece into the stroller.

"You let Lester come?" she said, with the tone of voice of a mother whose child had invited over the rowdiest kid in the neighbourhood. She watched as six large men, each dressed in their best unassuming casual wear, hauled themselves out of their RangeMan vehicles.

"Babe," Ranger admonished as he straightened up. "You say that like he listens to me."

"Aww come on Bomber," begged a deep voice, the owner's arm wrapping around her shoulders. Bobby grinned down at her, squeezing her into his side before turning his attention back to Lester.

"Can we keep him?"

"No," she deadpanned.

"Beautiful! Who do you think organised all of this? Bossman was going to keep you for himself, but I said No!" Lester threw his arms out in theatrical gestures as he spoke and Stephanie couldn't help but grin at the playful man.

_My mother's going to have a coronary._

_It'll be worth it. _

* * *

><p><strong>End<strong>

**A/N: **

**Guuuys,**

**I'm really struggling to balance fic time in with my undergrad load =(**

**Am resorting back to my drabble style for a little bit so you guys can have more posts.**

**This story will not be abandoned! Updates will just be a bit random, that's all.  
><strong>

**Love love love,**

**-Sarah**


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hey strangers *wink*  
><strong>

**Read On!**

* * *

><p><em>Previously:<em>

_"Beautiful! Who do you think organised all of this? Bossman was going to keep you for himself, but I said No!" Lester threw his arms out in theatrical gestures as he spoke and Stephanie couldn't help but grin at the playful man._

_My mother's going to have a coronary._

_It'll be worth it. _

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eight<strong>

**SPOV**

"I won _AGAIN_!"

Lester ran circles around his sandcastle, his Cuban colouring in contrast to the tribal-like dance movements as he laughed and taunted his co-workers.

Co-workers who then promptly tackled him _onto_ his prized sandcastle, completely obliterating it.

Four men rolled around in the sand, laughing madly. They were, for all intents, just a rambunctious group of friends – albeit friends that doubled as sculpted specimens of male virility who performed complicated martial arts moves amongst their 'playful' wrestling. Two more had taken to the water with surfboards, and the remaining man, woman and child surveyed the motley group with a sort of bemused fondness.

Well, that's stretching the truth a bit. Steph looked on with bemused fondness. Ranger was a mystery behind mirrored sunglasses, but his face was relaxed in a way that Steph was sure she hadn't seen before.

It was as if it were the first time they'd let themselves have any sort of fun, mused Steph. She thought about it a little more, the long hours the men worked, the physical labour of their jobs and mental taxation their military roles must have cost them.

What they must have seen on tour. What they still did see, working amongst the muck of Trenton's lowlife bail jumpers.

These men, more than anyone, deserved a day off.

For the life of her, Steph couldn't imagine why they had decided that their perfect day off comprised of holding a sand castle completion judged by a four month old little girl who awarded first prize by blowing spit bubbles. It seemed preposterous that right now, back in Trenton, RangeMan was running on a skeleton crew so that these men could spend the day seeing who could make Lisa laugh the most.

Men who nearly passed out from the hilarity of when Ram made Lisa laugh so hard she farted and crapped herself.

Even Ranger had smiled at that.

* * *

><p>Steph was drawn out of her reflections by the unearthly sound of her hunger announcing itself to the world.<p>

She wasn't sure what was more embarrasing: that Ranger, Tank and Lester (aka the Merry Men who had spent more time with her) remained relaxed or that Ram and Hal had fallen into a defensive crouch.

There was the slightest lift to the corners of Ranger's lips at the response. "At ease, men."

Steph lightly smacked his arm in reprimand, then turned to Tank.

"Should we call the Bobby and Woody in so we can vote on lunch?" she asked her fellow food enthusiast.

Tank picked up Lisa, a startling contrast of size and colour in his near coal-black arms, and glinted Steph a smile.

"Ella packed."

Lester ran down the beach, hollering at the Rangemen in the water so loud Steph could hear him back against their sheltered spot against the sand dunes, whilst Hal and Ram followed Tank back to the SUV's to retrieve the food.

Both the men coming in from the beach and the men behind them in the car park could be seen and heard to be bantering, jostling and ribbing one another. Tank in particular was having fun directing Hal and Ram to gather what looked like a nation's worth of food from the cars, claiming he couldn't carry a single thing since he was holding Lisa. Their deep voices intertwined with Lisa's high pitched babbling, good-natured, and Steph felt a warmth at seeing the light-hearted sides of the men.

The wind picked up slightly, blowing her hair back from her face as she lazily lolled her head sideways, peeking over at Ranger to find him looking back at her.

"This is nice," she said simply.

He smiled, and nodded. A rare moment of ESP passed between them, and Steph realised Ranger was also pleased his comrades were enjoying themselves on their day off.

"Many of the men aren't from Jersey Babe," Ranger spoke quietly as he leaned back on his hands. "Their families, those that have them, are far away. I don't know what the men do on their days off, besides pick up overtime or hitting the clubs. This is good for them. Wholesome. Thank you."

Steph ducked her head, a little shy, a little overwhelmed that he was thanking her for the spontaneous trip he and Lester had improvised during her babysitting stint. She hadn't felt like she'd done anything, or contributed at all besides showing up, but it made her feel valuable that maybe she and Lisa had been the ice breaker that brought the men together for reasons other than work.

It felt nice that she might have done something for the men that always seemed ready to leap to her aid.

There was a loud clap of an open palm hitting someone's head and a yelp from behind them.

"Ow! Steph, Ram hit me!"

"Taddle tale! Ignore Hal, he was sneaking food."

"Was not!"

"Was to!"

"Don't make me come back there!" Steph warned them, trying to be serious. "And if you were stealing food, you deserve to get hit!"

"That means we can hit him!"

"_No it doesn't!"_ Steph turned around just in time to see Tank punch Hal in the shoulder.

"Hey, no hitting while holding the baby!"

Tank turned to Lester. "Here, hold the baby for a sec."

Ranger was all out grinning from beside her. "Babe... You may need to rethink your parenting style."

**End.**


End file.
